In August of the seventeenth year of Xining, this was the seventh year that Ye Sili knew Gu Liyou.
"You said that my grandfather and Ayou have been out for so long, why haven't they come back yet?" The girl who spoke was wearing a water-colored pleated skirt, sitting on a slightly swaying swing, and the hem of the skirt was embroidered with gold threads.
Dots of hibiscus burst out like water, which is endearing.
Ye Sili let the swing swing slowly and casually, looking outside the Yusheng Courtyard from time to time. She had not seen the figure of Hope for a long time, and she looked a little disappointed.
"I heard that the surrounding barbarian countries are about to stir up trouble recently. The morning court will inevitably take longer than usual. I guess Prince Shichen and the Young Master will be back soon." Huan Xia raised his head and said to Sili.
"That's right, you guys are too slow, let me help you do it together." After saying that, Ye Sili stood up, rolled up his sleeves, washed his hands, and sat down next to Late Spring and Huanxia.
"Princess, it's not that we are slow, it's that the weight of this mansion is indeed not small. What's more, according to custom, you will send a box of mooncakes to the Ning'an Marquis Mansion." Munchun cried bitterly, but picked out the lotus core in his hand.
The movement did not stop.
Today is August 15th. Every Mid-Autumn Festival, Ye Sili and late spring Huanxia make mooncakes by themselves. Everyone in the Yugong Mansion has a copy, and a box is specially sent to the Ning'an Marquis Mansion.
No, the three of them got up early in the morning today, sitting in the courtyard and doing things leisurely, waiting for Ye Zhongyao and Gu Liyou to go to court.
"Princess, why do you think the prince asked the young master to go to the morning court with him today?" Munchun asked puzzledly.
Although the court officials have known about the relationship between the young master and the prince for so many years, the young master has not served in the court after all, so naturally he does not need to go to the morning court. However, today the prince invited the young master to come with him.
Late in the spring, he was really puzzled. He lowered his head and picked up a lotus seed and asked: "Is it possible that the prince wants to find an official position in the court for the young master? If that is the case, the gifts from the Holy Spirit over the years will not be returned except the house jewelry.
Bar?"
Hearing this, Ye Sili paused slightly, put down the peeled lotus seeds, and said, "I'm afraid it's not a good thing at this juncture."
"The princess, the prince and the young master have returned home." Uncle Zhang came to report.
Ye Sili immediately dropped the lotus seeds in his hand and ran out.
"Grandpa, Ayou." Seeing the two of them in the study, Si Li felt a little uneasy. He walked into the study, looked at the two people in front of him and asked, "Is there anything important in the court today?"
Gu Liyou walked up to Ye Sili, pointed at the cinnabar sweet-scented osmanthus that the servant was carefully carrying, and said, "Ah Li, look, on the way back home just now, I saw that this cinnabar sweet-scented osmanthus plant looked good, so I
How about sending someone to buy it and plant it in your Yusheng courtyard?"
Ye Sili looked along and nodded.
"Okay, I'll plant it in Yusheng Courtyard." After saying that, he turned back to look at Gu Liyou.
In seven years, Gu Liyou had changed a lot. If Ye Sili hadn't spent time with him day and night, she might not have recognized him.
Gu Liyou has grown a lot taller, and is now more than half of Ye Sili's head taller. He looks cold and cold, disdainful of worldly things. But Ye Sili never thinks so. The Ayou she knows has such a cold face.
Gentle, picturesque in manners, and in short a very nice person!
"What happened in the court today?" Si Li still asked, looking at his grandfather and then at the young man in front of him.
Ye Zhongyao glanced at Gu Liyou, then turned around and walked to the desk to sit down.
"Yes." Gu Liyou didn't want to hide it from her, so he kept the story short: "The emperor made me the captain of the light carriage, and I will accompany my grandfather on the expedition."
"Where to go?"
"Going south to the Qiang Kingdom."
"When will you leave?"
"Tomorrow morning."
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Ye Sili was shocked. Leading an army to go on an expedition was not a child's play. Why was it so sudden?
"Do you think why Jiufeng went to Xuzhou?" Gu Liyou couldn't bear to see the panic flashing in Ye Sili's eyes, and asked softly.
"Last month there were floods in many places in the east, and the emperor ordered him to go to provide disaster relief." Ye Sili replied. Jiu Feng had been away for more than a month, but he only sent back one letter, briefly talking about the disaster there, which seemed a bit serious.
, Liyou is going on an expedition at this moment, could it be...
"You are right. The disaster was serious this time. The people of Xuzhou were comforted, but people in many places in the east were in dire straits." Gu Liyou lowered his voice and said, "In addition, the imperial court did not provide timely support, and riots often occurred in the east."
"The Qiang Kingdom saw the right opportunity and sent out troops half a month ago. The border soldiers resisted for half a month, but the memorial did not arrive in Kyoto until midnight yesterday."
Gu Liyou explained to Si Li carefully.
Hearing this, Si Li frowned unconsciously. The borders were heavily guarded. If they could only maintain a stalemate for half a month but could not retreat from the enemy, it meant that this time the Qiang Kingdom had seen the disaster in the Zhou Dynasty and was too busy to take care of it.
, this is preparation for a protracted war!
"The war cannot be delayed. After noon, Liyou and I went to the barracks to order troops." Ye Zhongyao finally said.
That night.
On August 15th, the night was slightly cooler, and Yue Shouyu, symbolizing family reunion, appeared, emitting a bright and faint silver light, and the lake under the Wenshui Pavilion rippled slightly with sparkling waves.
The entire Yugong Mansion was brightly lit, and the maids and servants all gathered together, eating moon cakes and chatting.
This year's Mid-Autumn Festival night seemed to be colder than before. Ye Sili took the cloak from Huan Xia.
"Ah Li's lotus seed mooncakes are getting better and better. This craftsmanship is probably unmatched by anyone." Gu Liyou took a big bite and praised it without hesitation.
"Yes, the mooncakes made by Xiaoli are the most delicious that my grandfather and I have ever tasted." Ye Zhongyao observed Ye Sili's face while eating.
Ye Sili reached out and moved the plate of mooncakes in front of the two of them, and said helplessly: "No matter how delicious it is, you can't eat so many. You have finished two whole plates of mooncakes, and this one is the third."
The plates are ready." Si Li pointed to the two empty plates next to her, and still made a pot of hot tea for the two of them.
"Don't be too tired. Let's drink some hot tea."
"No matter how much Ah Li cooks, you will never get tired of it." Seeing that she was fine, Gu Liyou finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly picked up the teacup.
The tea is freshly boiled, and it even warms your stomach when you drink it on such a cooling night.
Ye Sili looked at the two people in front of him, helpless.
No matter how ignorant she is, she still knows that "it is difficult to disobey the imperial edict" and she also understands that "the family, the country, the world".
The children of the Ye family have been generals for generations, and all of them are powerful generals. As the daughter of a family, her grandfather protected her very well. She almost forgot that this old man also once killed all the enemies and made the enemy
General Zhenguo, who is frightened by the news!
"Grandpa, Ayou." Ye Sili stretched out his hands and gently held the hands of Ye Zhongyao and Gu Liyou, and said with concern: "You must come back safely, I will wait for you at home."
Gu Liyou held Ye Sili's delicate hand with his backhand, patted it gently to reassure her, and said:
"The cinnabar osmanthus plant in your yard will bloom this year. You should take good care of yourself at home and wait until I come back to accompany you to enjoy the flowers."
"Yeah." Ye Sili nodded and said to Gu Liyou:
"Ayou, the battlefield is dangerous. Take good care of your grandfather and yourself."
"I will."
Early the next morning, Ye Zhongyao and Gu Liyou set off. They did not wake up Si Li, and did not intend to let Si Li take them out of the city. They quietly went to the military camp.
When the time came, the horn of the expedition sounded, surrounding the entire Kyoto sky. Tens of thousands of people prepared to set off, and the streets were filled with cheering people.
In this battle, Ye Zhongyao was the commander-in-chief and Gu Liyou was the deputy commander-in-chief. The two men were wearing armor and holding spears, and they stood out among the crowd.
"Look, there are crowds of people below praying for them." The girl was dressed in red, and her face was as delicate as a water hibiscus under the red cloak, but there was worry that could not be hidden between her eyebrows.
"Princess Princess, if you are reluctant to leave the prince and the young master, please go down and see them off. The prince and young master will be very happy to know that you are going to see them off."
In late spring, he looked at the troops approaching the city gate and was reluctant to give up. The battlefield was dangerous, and no one knew it better than the Ye family. The Ye family had been generals for generations, and they were full of loyal people. In the end, only the prince and princess were left. Now the prince and the prince
Going on an expedition, who would believe me if I said I wasn’t worried?
"Grandpa and Ayou quietly left the house because they didn't want me to worry. Now that I'm watching them go away from this high-rise building, I will naturally wait here for their triumphant return."
Under the city wall, the people crowded shoulder to shoulder and shouted in unison, wishing only to send the simplest and warmest blessings to the soldiers who went out to fight.
The first two generals were dressed in battle armor, with tall and straight postures and bright eyes. Their eyes fell on the people on the streets on both sides in turn, as if they were responding to their blessings one by one in this silent way.
One month later.
"Princess, Princess, Master Jiu Feng has returned to the capital!" He heard his voice before seeing him, and before he ran into Yusheng Courtyard in late spring, he called Ye Sili loudly at the top of his lungs.
Ye Sili was swinging listlessly on the swing but at this moment, she stood up immediately and hurriedly ordered before Mu Chun could come closer:
"Wait for me at my house in late spring, and Huanxia follow me out." After saying that, he picked up the hem of his skirt and ran out quickly.
Late spring looked at the two people who were about to disappear outside the courtyard in a blink of an eye. He didn't care to catch his breath and rest, and quickly reminded loudly: "Master Jiu Feng is still reporting his duties to the court and has not returned home!"
Yugong's Mansion and Ning'an Hou's Mansion were on the same street, but slightly farther apart. Ye Sili walked very quickly, and when he arrived at Mu's Mansion, Mu Jiufeng had not returned yet.
"Princess, Master Jiufeng is still in the palace." Huan Xia looked at Ye Sili who was sweating slightly on her forehead, and carefully took out a handkerchief and wiped it for her.
Ye Sili stood on tiptoes outside the door of Mu's Mansion and looked in the direction of the palace, obviously looking forward to Jiu Feng's return.
"I know, it's just that I want to see Jiu Feng earlier."
Ye Sili felt a little tired, so she stood up obediently, but still walked outside, glancing at the street from time to time.
"It's been nearly three months since Jiu Feng left this time, but this is the first time he didn't spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with us." Speaking of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Ye Sili added:
"I don't know if he received the lotus seed mooncakes sent by someone last month."